The system is designed, in part, to address the needs and desires of families and businesses to de-clutter and better organize their homes and offices, although many other applications are intended to be within the scope of the invention. We have all, to some degree, experienced the barrage of information that has cluttered modern life. We live among an array of schedules posted on sticky notes, “to do” lists, whiteboards, blackboards and calendars. On top of this, the virtual world has added laptops, handheld tablets and smart phones. Together with their respective power cords and chargers, such devices can clutter our lives as well.
Handwritten schedules and notes can be an eyesore and are often outdated. Personal electronic devices are wonderful, but are just that, “personal”. They are perfectly convenient for an individual, but not ideal for a family or group. They can even isolate us from one another. Consider the image of a family dinner with everyone tuned separately to his or her handheld device. The medallion projector returns the “single conversation” to the family or group gathering, and embraces the wonderful aspects of technology and the information age.
Organizational tools are needed to assist families with an ADD/ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) child, adults with ADD/ADHD, and those with Aspberger's Syndrome and other disorders that fall within the autism spectrum. As aforementioned, whiteboards, blackboards and post-it notes are great for “in your face” visibility, yet contribute to distracting clutter. They become “white noise” when not regularly updated. Smart phones, digital calendars and the various applications associated with them are brilliant, yet are not outright visible and require discipline for those who are “discipline challenged”, often to the extreme. Such devices, in many cases, are also not suitable for children. As explained below, the invention described herein can provide useful assistance to families or individuals with ADD/ADHD or Aspberger's by implementing an improved means to organize and direct daily activities and the like.
Those with ADHD make up an expanding sector of the population. The CDC notes that “parents report approximately 9.5% or 5.4 million children 4-17 years of age have ever been diagnosed with ADHD as of 2007” and that “the percentage of children with a parent reported ADHD diagnosis increased by 22% between 2003 and 2007” (www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/adhd/data.html). While it is not clear how much of this is due to a rise in the condition and how much is due to a rise in the recognition of the condition, it is very clear that the population of those seeking assistance is growing, and rapidly. The invention described herein is believed to provide particular assistance to those with these conditions.